Upcoming programming for FCWC includes three-part series on the "past, present, and future" of the Bronx River in White Plains, NY.
February 2023
Photo Credit: Ben Brown "Documenting the Reservation’s Environmental Beauty"
FCWC is very pleased to announce that we have received a small grant to carry out a series of public education/outreach events focusing on the Bronx River in White Plains. Tentatively scheduled for Spring 2023, the series is intended to educate residents about this often-overlooked natural resource and encourage them to be better stewards of the Bronx River. The three programs will cover the river’s history (including the role of early indigenous people and the river’s significance during the Revolutionary War), the river’s ecology/environment (including a guided walk), and an overview of the municipal land use planning and development, emphasizing how local citizens can impact these decisions. Funds for the series resulted from a local citizen's lawsuit aimed at protecting the Bronx River from the impact of real estate development.
Planning for this series includes FCWC staff, Executive Board members, and new FCWC member, Benjamin Brown. Brown is a White Plains resident and practicing lawyer who frequently advocates for environmental causes before the City's Common Council. For him, citizen participation is key to protecting local environmental resources and making sure that local governments explicitly include environmental factors in their decisionmaking, as intended by the New York Environmental Quality Act of 1975. As Brown stated, "Given the amount of development pressure the City is facing, if we don't start thinking seriously about the role of the Bronx River and how to be good stewards of it, soon it will be too late.”
We will share specifics of this upcoming series as they are finalized. We hope that as many of you as possible can join what promises to be fascinating and educational events.
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